Category Archives: Nail Supplies

This post is way, way overdue. About a year ago, the very kind Allison of Nail Pattern Boldness sent me a bottle of her Glitter A-Peel peel-off basecoat for review. Now that OPI has released a Glitter Off base coat, I am (finally) going to review the Nail Pattern Boldness version.

First, let’s talk about OPI Glitter Off (which I don’t see for sale online anywhere – but there are several blogger reviews). It’s basically watered down PVC glue (in the US, the most common brand of PVC glue is Elmer’s Glue). I haven’t used the OPI, but I’ve used slightly watered down PVC glue several times as a base coat. It does work in that it peels off easily when it’s time to remove, but overall I find using it a frustrating experience. My manicure peels off best if I use either one thick coat of glue or two very thin coats, and either way, the glue takes several minutes to dry — and I can’t apply my polish until it’s totally dry without making a mess. Continue reading →

Yesterday, I spotted some new-to-me nail art kits at Rite Aid, so I took some quick photos!

I believe that the Pretty Woman brand is exclusive to Rite Aid. I’ve seen Pretty Woman’s Nail Pearls kits before in freestanding displays, but I saw them on the wall, which means that they are permanent. I also saw the below Pretty Woman Velvet manicure kits (called “Velvet Provocateur”), which came in three colors; black, pink, and teal.

I also saw several kits from the brand Fing’rs Edge, which I was not familiar with; they do have a website though, and it looks like you can purchase their products at Rite Aid, CVS, Ulta, and many other stores.

I saw the following kits:

Nail Art Tools Variety Pack

Matte & Regular top coat pack

Nail Tattoos (note that regular newspaper also works – but the other designs & maps look interesting!)

Today, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what’s in my manicure bag! I do all my nail polishing and swatching outside, so I have everything I need together in a medium – sized Sephora bag, so I can head outside any time and have everything I need with me. I just grab the polish (or polishes) I want, my bag, and I’m ready to go!

One of the most important things I have with me is nail polish remover. I have two types in my bag: pure acetone, and a homemade version of Zoya’s Remove+. I usually use the homemade version of Remove+ to remove nail polish, because it’s more moisturizing than pure acetone – it’s made of acetone, glycerin, and water, and I learned how to make it from this post on the blog Loodie Loodie Loodie. I use the acetone for stubborn polishes (usually glitter), for my pedicures, and to clean up the edges of my manicures with a brush.

My favorite top & base coats

I also keep my favorite base coat and top coat in my nail bag. I’m still using Essie First Base basecoat (which I posted about quite a while ago). I find that most topcoats make my nail polish peel off in sheets, so I usually skip topcoat. If I’m wearing a polish that requires topcoat (for example, a rough glitter), NYC Grand Central Station is my favorite – it rarely leads to the peeling nail polish problem.

My favorite white & black creme polishes

Several of the polishes I wear require a coat of a solid color first. Neons work alone, but pop more with white underneath, and some duochromes look best over black. I find it convenient to just leave my favorite white and black creme in my manicure bag all the time. My current favorite white is Milani High Speed Fast Dry in White On the Spot, but I’d love to find something a bit less streaky. And I love Wet n Wild Wild Shine in Black Creme – it’s one coat of perfect black glossiness.

Some miscellaneous but important items: my favorite cuticle remover is Blue Cross, but it’s very watery and hard to use. Then, I read the wonderful idea of putting it in a clean nail polish bottle. I just brush a little on my cuticles, let it sit for a minute, then gently push them back.

I can’t believe I didn’t own nail polish thinner until Mimi at Makeup Withdrawal wrote about it a few months ago. Her post convinced me that I needed it immediately – and really, I did. If you ever paint your nails, go buy nail polish thinner – you’ll be glad you did! It’s only a couple dollars (I think mine was $4?) and it makes thick, gloopy, and aging nail polish like new again. You can even use it to revive totally dried out nail polish.

The quick dry spray is not a necessity; I’m not sure how much it actually speeds up the drying process. However, it’s fairly moisturizing. When my fingers are too dried out from nail polish removal to photograph, I paint them anyway. Then afterwards, I spray them with the quick dry spray – it moisturizes them enough that they look fine in photographs. Once the nail polish is 100% dry, I can apply a cuticle cream (I don’t photograph nail polish when it’s wet, but I photograph it when the top layer is dry, but it’s still dentable).

Nail tools

And finally, some tools. Cotton squares for removing nail polish; the ELF $1 concealer brush is my clean-up brush; an orangewood stick for pushing back my cuticles, and a no-name glass file I got for $2 at Big Lots.

Below is the bag I use. I usually have a couple more items than those listed above kicking around in it – some nail polishes, a swatch wheel, a sharpie to label the swatch wheel, along with various other bits and pieces.

Do you have a manicure bag, or nail art supply bag? How do you organize your nail stuff? I’d love to see!